Stadium location to be reconsidered

The current rendering of what the football stadium will look like if kept in the same location. | Courtesy of Dave Reiter/Athletics Department

The UH system Board of Regents requested the University’s Athletics Department to reconsider the intramural fields as a location for the new football stadium in the Regents meeting Tuesday.

If the site is chosen for the stadium, additional costs would have to be funded by private donations.

“As promised, we will not ask our students for any additional monies,” Athletics Director Mack Rhoades said in an email.

“We are extremely grateful for their overwhelming support via this past referendum.”

If moved to the intramural fields, the stadium would cost at least an additional $40 million.

“Due to the importance of this project for both the University and the intercollegiate athletics department, the Board or Regents asked to review the Intramural Fields site a second time and verify the cost … and/or explore any other creative options for building the stadium on this site with a much reduced premium,” Rhoades said.

If the location is changed, athletics would try to incorporate the General Services Building into the design.

The initial estimates determined it would cost at least $25 million to build an new General Services building, which was included in the extra $40 million, Rhoades said.

The final location of the stadium will be determined in the Board’s meeting in March.

“We will spend the next month re-evaluating this one site to determine if we continue to move forward with the existing site,” Rhoades said.